Path to Salvation
by Protonymic
Summary: Team Rocket has finally succeeded with their goal of taking over the country. All under them now live an existence serving them and them only, the idea of Pokemon trainers not affiliated with them a dream. Alex was spared from this fate when he was cast away from civilisation, but now wants to reclaim a place in the world, and starts by looking for his sister far, far away. Onhold
1. First Hint of Daylight

There was nothing but silence in the air.

Alex trod onwards, doing his best to stay somewhat hidden in whatever grass was left in Route 205. A Cottonee sat on his head, looking wherever he wasn't, keeping still much like its trainer who moved slowly and minimally. He knew this silence couldn't last for long, and was dreading the moment it would break more and more by the minute.

The grass and trees had grown back since the disaster a year ago, but Pokemon were scarce. Save the occasional Bidoof that fled immediately on sight, everything seemed dead. Even the plants, though clearly alive, felt hollow. Alex resisted stopping to take a closer look at them. Any mistakes and he'd never return from this trip. He hadn't even made it to Eterna City's entrance yet. If he faltered here, how'd he continue from there?

A small lake sat in the middle of the Route, a wooden pier across being the favoured path of trainers and anglers. This, of course, meant Alex would have to take the path around, where more tall grass would help hide him anyway. He turned towards a narrow path by a cliff's edge and inched his way through the silent waterside path. The lake that would usually be brimming with flopping magikarp had only a few in sight.

"Keee." He felt his Cottonee tug on his hair.

"What, Ari? See something?"

He didn't get a fast response, as Ari had leapt off his head and kicked him down, both of them narrowly avoiding a water jet from something in the lake. A figure jumped out, leaping at him with claws ready to do something to Alex he didn't want to imagine.

"Ari! Grasswhistle-"

Before he has even finished his command, one of the Poke balls on his belt opened. A Starmie swooped out and immediately loosed a thunderbolt. Before the Golduck could even begin to land, it was pushed back by the force of the attack and sent tumbling into the water. Alex picked himself up, trembling as he dusted himself off.

"Thanks, Henriette." Alex held out the Starmie's Poke Ball to recall it, but with a limb it held his arm away. It then slipped into the water, hiding underneath the surface but staying close to him.

"You'll need to get back in once we're away from the water, of course. But I appreciate the thought." Alex put away the ball and moved on, Cottonee back on his head. The Starmie followed by his side, though underwater, till they went away from the lake and it had to return. As they left the grass, dirt road gave way to a paved one. Eterna City, or whatever left of it, was close by.

"Right, you'll have to turn around now, Ari. Keep your whistle ready, how about your stun spore?"

"Cooo."

He felt his Cottonee shift on his head. He felt as if his heart could burst at any moment with how fast it was beating, but there was no turning back. He didn't know how much longer he could wait, but whatever he might find here would hopefully give him some kind of answer. Clue. Even an indication that there was an answer would be enough.

He froze as he took his first step into the city limits, half expecting to be attacked immediately. There was nothing, not even wind, and Henriette wasn't responding. It was safe to say nothing would bother Alex for now. Many of the buildings were badly damaged; some had more conventional damage like charred walls, others had entire chunks missing, missing so neatly it looked like they were cut apart by a giant scalpel and merely separated. It wasn't his business to go about and ponder events like this, not right now, anyway.

First of all, he needed to find the Pokemon Centre. There were signs along the roadsides marked in red, weathered and poorly maintained. Below them was a sign for a newer place, a 'Rest stop', the R painted bright red over the black background of the sign. Staying close to the sides of the buildings, he crept, burning into his mind the idea that somehow not even walking properly would ruin everything. He kept up this pace along the gray bricks that made up the untouched bits of the city, feeling a bit safer with their shadows blocking out the sun.

The Pokemon Center would be around the next corner. So far, so good. All that preparation paid off, thought Alex as he peeked around the corner. It was empty like the rest of what he had seen of the city, and for a moment he felt secure enough to break his caution and run straight for those glass doors, not noticing the two figures stepping out until it was almost too late.

"Who are you?"

"W-what? Intruder?"

The two people dressed in black cut him away from the Center's entrance. The red R on their chests told everything Alex needed to know. Before he could reach for his Poke balls, however, they had already thrown theirs. A Raticate and Golbat burst out, both baring their fangs to strike into him and his Cottonee.

"Quick, Graswhistle!"

The Cottonee leapt from his head and played a soothing melody, forcing the opposing Pokemon away to shake themselves out of their impending stupors as Alex himself rushed backwards to ready another ball.

"Roy! Take the Golbat! Wing Attack!"

He aimed and tossed it upwards to release a Murkrow. It quickly slammed its wings into the Golbat, managing to hit the shoulders and almost knocking it out of the air.

"Now into the wings! Ari, Stun Spore instead!"

Before the grunts could give another order, the Golbat had hit the ground and the Raticate was coated in a cloud of yellow powder, unable to move out.

"Stun the Golbat, Ari! Roy, back to me - Gerald! Slash the Raticate!"

In a single motion, Alex recalled his Murkrow and threw out a Gabite. While the Golbat now grounded was prevented from recovering by another burst of yellow dust from the Cottonee's leaves, the Raticate was knocked upwards, large gashes on it made by the Gabite's claws.

"Raticate! No-" The grunt only had time to gasp before the next command was given.

"Other one too, Gerald! Slash!"

Just as the spore cloud dissipated to show the Golbat splayed on the ground, the Gabite pounced on it, raking claws over it until it got flung away and laid still.

"Golbat!"

There were no more Poke balls on the grunt's belts. Their hands trembled as they recalled their injured pokemon, and both stared at Alex for far too long. He stared back, not sure what he wanted to do, either, very frightened of whatever was coming next. The grunts took slow steps back, then quickly broke into a sprint to get away, but not before Henriette broke out of its ball and shot a jet of water at both of them, knocking them to the ground. Alex hardly even had time to think after that.

"Ari! Grasswhistle now!"

The Cottonee rushed to them before they could crawl up. Perching right over them, it played the same soothing melody as before. Their attempts to get up slowed, then quickly stilled.

Not as still was Alex's pulse, racing as he slowly approached the two grunts that he had knocked out. Now that he looked closer, they were just a little younger than he was. Twelve? Thirteen? A boy and a girl. He shuddered a little as he thought about how if things had went differently, he might have been in their place.

"Hmmmm."

His Starmie let loose a faint hum.

"No, it's fine. It was the best thing to do. I should have told you to do it, Henriette."

He hesitated as he was about to open their bags and pockets, but figuring it wasn't worth worrying about, dug through voraciously. A few potions was all that they even had, he couldn't bring himself to take all of them.

After his Pokemon helped him bring the two grunts into the center, Alex set about working with the Center's PC. By some miracle, it was left largely intact, the only difference being a note pasted on telling Team Rocket Grunts to report to the Galactic Eterna Building for supplies and Pokemon.

"Beep-beep."

That familiar tone. Not that he had used a Pokemon Center PC a lot himself, but he had seen it done plenty more times.

"ITEM STORAGED SYSTEM ACCESSED"

It was worth a try. Alex entered his own login, trying not to fumble too much with the keyboard.

"WITHDRAW/DEPOSIT?"

He was struggling to calm himself down now. It was all working. Inside his box were old things he knew he left behind, and some he was certain that he had never touched.

A map of Sinnoh, with the snowy northern region circled in pen. A small radio with batteries, too. Finally, a small locket with a photograph of two people. Both black haired, the smaller boy in front of the smiling girl. A small round stone sat on top of the picture.

"Look, Henriette."

He turned to his Starmie behind him, breathing heavily.

"It's big sis. She gave this to me. It's a message from her. I think we can find her now."

The jewel on the Starmie's core brightened as the boy fell on top of it.

"After so long, we'll both be seeing her again. It's okay now, It's all okay..."

The pair took what time they could spare letting loose bottled-up emotions. That is, about three minutes where the other pokemon stood around awkwardly while Henriette and Alex hugged, till they packed up and took off. Back into the safety of the Eterna Forest, one that had become stifling.

Now that he had a place to go, he'd leave. Come what may, Alex thought. Truthfully, deep down, he knew he was woefully unready. He hadn't been a trainer for very long. Still, better to leave and see what was going on himself then to hide and pray. He felt himself taking a first step after far too long spent wasting away, and that thought made him feel more awake than ever before.


	2. Morning Glory

The water was a path of stars. Lights shone above and below in Route 218's light. The time could hardly be called night, it was bright, bustling, and Alex was wide awake. When he was told to leave the house with his bag, he wondered if he was leaving for his Pokemon journey before morning, since he could hardly sleep. Nevermind the flaming trees that writhed as they burned, or the cries of Pokemon behind, everything he had waited for was coming.

Sis was with him, too. He couldn't see her face, it was too dark, though everything else was so bright. They rode Pokemon along the still water path, Alex atop her beloved Henriette behind. When they hit land in Jubilife, people melted out of the way as Sis led him through streets that cracked and shattered into nothing behind. The trail of starlight continued north outside the now-vanished city as they further strode over cliffs into a field of flowers twisting in the lights. They didn't stop, because he was in a hurry to start his journey, and as the flowers withered behind they passed windmills whose blades turned upwards and flew away, breaking the ground behind and leading it into the sky as well.

Not that it mattered. He was going to start his Pokemon journey in the morning. In fact, it could be starting right now! Everything became so bright that it was hard to see, and the only place unaffected was a forest of trees that were shaped like cages. He kept running by Sis' side, without caring for anything but her presence and his excitement, but he tripped when something suddenly appeared over his feet, binding him down. The roots of the trees themselves were bound around him as they grew into a cage with every joint chained to him in some way. Sis did not slow down or even look back, only kept walking on with her arms still by her side.

Why did they come here? Why was she leaving him here?

He fought and fought, but the roots held fast against his meager attempts at breaking them. Sis kept walking away into the black void, then stopped as she reached the very furthest Alex could see. She reached somewhere down, opening a rectangular space like it were a door, exposing a space of white light that blinded him. He heard a door close, and there was nothing any more.

As nothingness swathed him, he slowly felt the sensation of his sleeping bag around him return, as with the weight of his eyelids. He opened them to see the roof of his tent, with Julia the Gastly floating near him, looking concerned.

"Morning, Julia."

He reached out for the Gastly to lick his hand as he thought about the dream. Henriette hadn't appeared in it in a while. In the past few iterations, Sis hadn't had nearly as much presence, usually he'd be seeing some of his old friends, too. Events a few days ago had greatly affected him, obviously.

It was 3 a.m, according to his watch. A little earlier than he had planned to wake up, but it made do. The unusually awake boy poured over his notebook, after releasing his team from their balls for them to freshen up for the day ahead.

No one in the tent said anything amidst the cool morning air. They were going to Sinnoh's northernmost tip, Snowpoint City, a trip further than any Alex had ever made. To make it there, they would need ample food, winter clothing, knowledge of the coming weather and places they could take shelter. Going through his preparation was the only way he could really convince himself they had a chance of making it. First of all, they'd have to make it to and through Eterna City. The next obstacle would be the tunnels at Mount Coronet's base, which he estimated would take about a full day to navigate North. Then there would be Routes 216 and 217, which could take anywhere from five days to two weeks. He grasped a small locket around his neck, squeezing it every now and then. Sis' belongings helped in times like this.

Before he knew it, his Pokemon brought him his bags. Looking around him, everything but whatever he was holding had been packed up, leaving just the tent and his papers. His team stood before him, an air of determination from all of them. Checking inside the bags he didn't pack himself, everything was arranged just how he liked.

"You guys..." Alex was a little stunned, but smiled. Knowing that he had a team supporting him made everything feel better. They all called out in response. Quietly, of course, the others in their tents were sleeping. Figuring it was time to leave, he packed the last of his gear, taking in deep breaths of the forest's fresh air. He didn't know how long it would be till he would smell the scent of fresh, dew-speckled leaves again.

"One last look, and then we have to go."

Alex took in the view of tents in the camp, not sure what to feel. For the longest time it felt like a trap, but now that he was leaving for good he felt an urge to go back and huddle under a tent again, like he had every night. He shook it off, remembering also that with that came a terrible helplessness that taunted him whenever he felt safe. This was the only way. He had already made his decision.

_Sis, I'm coming. _

He turned about to find his Pokemon waiting behind, then recalled all but Ari. As usual, the Cottonee perched on his head, using his eyesight to look out for anything Alex would need to know.

The air lost some of its comfort as they stepped out of the vegetation into Route 105. Ari kept shifting around to feel the winds, trying to tell what was around them. Alex was thankful for that, he didn't dare look back himself. Thinking more about what lay ahead made running back under the trees more and more tempting, but a soft breeze at his back gently pushed him on. Save for footsteps there were no sounds on the way, and Alex had to concentrate quite hard to keep his thoughts in line.

As they reached the entrance gates, Alex got his mind back to the present around him. He'd chosen this early hour hoping to run into no resistance whatsoever. True enough, Eterna City's streets were empty, there'd be little reason for grunts to be about here anyway. As far as he knew, there was little of importance.

It was right then that he heard a large assortment of Pokemon cries. Instinctively he ducked and ran for the nearest building to hide, listening as carefully as he could. There was a smaller mass of footsteps near those cries, which meant that there were people. No, Rocket Grunts. This was no time to be optimistic. If all went well, he'd slip by them with no need to fight at all, though he could feel Henriette's unease from inside its ball. Ari's leaf movements focused, he was trying to gauge more of the air to see if they were safe.

Alex rushed from street to street, corner to corner, intent on getting to the east exit as fast as feasibly possible. From what he could recall of the city's layout, every route he could take would bring him by wherever the mass of Pokemon were. He briefly thought about turning back and coming back another time, but shook off the idea. Any later and the snow past Mount Coronet would be too harsh to get through, not to mention this could mean Team Rocket might be using Eterna City for more active operations, and would be filled with many, many more grunts from now on.

The only thing he could do was listen carefully and move slowly. He didn't dare ask Ari to slip around and scout, he'd be quickly added to whatever pile of Pokemon were captured there. As he peeked around a corner, there were unmistakably a group of Rocket Grunts, black attire and all poorly fitted on most of them as they scattered, fortunately in the opposite direction. They were all moving away from a large cage containing a wide array of Pokemon, cramped together and in what Alex could only describe as a sort of depressed chaos. A multitude of Pokemon were within, making half-hearted attempts at escape, despair evident in the ways they feebly tried to break their bars, if not how those behind simply lay about waiting for their fate.

Beyond this space further east would be a mess of streets that would eventually take Alex to Mount Coronet. It would be a while till he managed to get to the exit, and now that there were rockets prowling about there would be no room for error. Fortunately, he had a map scribbled down in his pocket, so he could try to memorize it as quickly as possible. With that in hand, he poked around the corner again to get his bearings. Right then, a purple ray came shooting towards him, leaving him only enough time to flinch.

"Damn it! Ari, get..."

No, there still weren't any Rocket Grunts around. What shot... whatever that was? A flash of light came from somewhere in the large cage, and again a purple ray shot towards him. Alex put his arms in front of him to shield himself, but the ray passed them and hit the locket behind. Instantly, it vanished. He looked about in growing panic. Did it drop? It was then that he realised the map he was holding was gone too, vanished into the air.

"Ari, stay with me."

Making sure there really was no one about, he ran to the cage, cotton puff atop his head. As he approached, he saw amidst the mass of broken Pokemon a small, orange, vulpine one with eyes that were unusually bright, compared with the rest.

"Kii!" As Alex approached, it called out, putting away the stick it was biting on. It took out a small locket and piece of paper from underneath it with its mouth, waving both of them to Alex.

"Fennekin, those are important to me. Could I have them back?" Alex bent down to look at the Fennekin, but it shook its head, cheerfully gesturing towards the door of the cage to the side.

Alex first thought about how he would snatch his belongings back from the thief. Julia could probably slip through the bars and hypnotise the Fennekin into sleep, then take back his things, but that might cause a panic within the cage. If he just took them back, the Fennekin would steal it again or take something else.

"Right. You have my hands tied. Be quiet, then." Alex went over to the door. It had a simple combination padlock on it, and the numbers were even still pressed down. The Fennekin followed him from inside, dangling the paper and locket, while the other pokemon looked on curiously. Alex pressed down on the lock and, as slowly as he could, removed it.

"You all should run while you can," Alex spoke, as he pulled open the door. "If you go west you might find some trainers you can help out–"

"HEY! WHO'S THERE?"

Just as Alex heard the voice behind him, the area erupted into chaos. The Pokemon inside seemed to have immediately regained their spirit, as they stampeded out and into the city. The cacophony of cries was useful to Alex, who in the confusion managed to get a good head start jogging to one of the eastern streets.

"Ari, don't let go of me and get stun spores ready! Rest of you, get ready to fight quickly!" Alarms starting ringing out around the city as he paced along a mass of Rattata, bringing grunts to the streets from their buildings.

"Stop right there–"

"Stun Spore!"

Alex kept his head low while Ari blew a cloud of yellow dust at the grunt in his way, bringing him to the ground. Commands were being shouted over a megaphone now and there were sounds of battle, hopefully the wild Pokemon would buy them enough time. He hoped the Pokemon knew the way out too, he never got to retrieve his map or locket.

"Golbat, grab him–"

"Thunderbolt!"

Alex thrust a Poke ball upwards, without actually letting it go. Henriette burst out, flying upwards with the momentum of its ball, then unleashed a bolt of electricity at the Golbat. Before the knocked out Golbat even hit the ground, Alex drew his arm back as he recalled the Starmie that was still in midair, securing the ball back on his belt just as Henriette was fully drawn back.

He'd have time to congratulate himself for pulling that off later. For now he was focused on jogging on despite the load he was carrying, knowing that any faster and he'd completely lose his ability to fight once he stopped. The buildings were changing from the taller ones that made up the center of the city to smaller, more spread-out complexes, so in just a bit he might make it to safety. No matter how much he wanted to sprint and obey the pounding in his chest, he kept constant, not slow but not as fast as he would have liked.

"Nee... !" His Cottonee flapped his leaves excitedly, sensing something.

"Almost there, Ari?" The noises were getting more distant. Just a bit more, and they would be out–"

"Not so fast, kid."

Alex stopped so suddenly that Ari had to help pull him back from falling over. Right in front of them was the eastern exit to Mount Coronet, and in his way were three figures in black. The two to the sides were about his own size, busy handling nets that had been used to capture many of the wild pokemon trying to escape. Between them, right in the middle of the road, was a woman taller than any of the trainers present. She gazed menacingly at Alex, smirking with lips he found a little distracting.

"So you must be the one who managed to sneak in the other day. Am I right? You're such a cute little thing, too..." She laughed, and Alex fought hard to ignore the chill in his stomach upon hearing it. He focused first on her gaze, then about her body, watching for when her hands would move to her balls... those on her belt, of course.

"Aww, looks like you're the quiet type. Checking me out, aren't you, you naughty thing?" She put her fingers to her lips, throwing off his focus for just a single moment. The next thing he knew was Ari slamming him to the ground and a whoosh of movement just over him.

"Drifblim, Shadow Ball!"

"Ari, Fairy Wind!" He rolled over and leapt up as fast as he could to see large balloon-like Pokemon being pushed away from him. His Cottonee's movements were a little haphazard, but he managed to counter the blow of the attack that hit with enough force. He fumbled for a second, but managed to draw the correct Poke Ball from his belt.

"Roy! Pursuit!" He threw the container upwards, letting loose a Murkrow that pecked ferociously at the Drifblim. What sounded like a burst of gas came from the Drifblim, shrieking as Roy found the worst spots to dig his talons into.

"Keep going! Take it down now!"

"Like hell you will! Tailwind!"

The Drifblim flapped what passed for its wings, and a stream of wind came down from its direction.

"How you going to run now, boy?" The Rocket woman laughed again, watching Alex as he stood frozen by his situation. "Thunderbolt!"

"Split up! Confuse it!" Roy and Ari both dove in opposite directions, and the Drifblim decided to take out the one more immediately dangerous. It loosed a blast of electricity towards the Murkrow with stunning speed, the wind behind it allowing the attack to hit almost instantly. The Murkrow, fried by the blast, fell out of the air in a panic.

"Roy, to me!" He held out the ball and managed to catch the Murkrow with the aim of his recall before the bird hit the ground, but it would still be a while before it could battle safely again. He'd pat himself on the back for that later if they made it out.

"Oh, now it's a fair fight again, huh? Thunderbo–"

"Ari, get behind! Peli, go!"

In a single movement, Alex returned the spent poke ball and drew out another. He threw it right in the projected path of the Thunderbolt, releasing his Gabite so that it would absorb the blast for the Cottonee, rapidly struggling against the air current. Sure enough, Peli leapt out right in time to block the attack, leaving both of them unharmed.

"Naughty boys like you need to be punished. Don't you know fighting two on one is cheating?"

"Dual Chop! Ari, keep trying!"

The woman didn't take being ignored very well. She was a Rocket Admin, and this was just some vagabond. Whatever, she thought. Let him focus on the battle he's going to lose anyway, as she fiddled with something in her pocket. His poor cotton ball was trying so hard to fight off the wind, too.

The Gabite managed to leap up and land two square hits on the Drifblim, but it merely flew up and prepared to loose another Shadow Ball. Henriette could finish it off in one attack, but there was no way it could take any attack in return, so he didn't dare send it in. Gabite could take one hit, but then that would be it, thought Alex as he silently urged on Ari, still flapping his leaves away as if in the throes of madness.

"Shadow Ball! Finish them off one by one!"

A shadowy blob formed between the Driflim's wings as the winds petered out. Just as it was ready to throw it, another gust of wind blew, this time at the Drifblim and forcing it out of balance.

"Stun Spore, Ari! Henriette, Ice Beam!" With the winds behind, the Cottonee rode forth and scattered paralytic powders onto the Drifbliim. Following that, the boy sent out his Starmie, who followed the Cottonee as it fired a cold, white ray. As it made contact with the shuddering Drifblim, it shrieked again before falling to the ground, limp and shivering.

"Well, looks like you have a smart Cottonee there. Can't wait to see how you cry when I tear apart its fluff in front of you." Alex tried his best to calm his breathing, to pay no attention to her words, waiting for the opportunity that must be lying ahead. He just had to wait until she tried to recall her Pokemon...

"Come back, Drifblim–"

"LET'S GO! ARI, STUN SPORE!"

With the winds at their back, they should be able to cover enough distance quickly enough, they had to. As the group ran, Ari leapt in front, preparing to cloud that woman in dust first."

"–go, Mamoswine! Ice Shard!"

A huge, hulking behemoth of a Pokemon materialised in front of the Admin. Before it made any sound, a small clump of ice formed and was thrown at Ari, hitting his front. His fluff and powders were frozen.

"Damn it! Ari, return–"

"Ice Shard!"

He had no time to do anything other recover the Cottonee thrashing about on the road. Before his other hand could even touch the other Poke ball he needed, his Gabite was already lying prone and still as bits of ice fell off him. It shouldn't be enough to take him out for more than a few hours, but this Mamoswine had already taken out two of his party.

"You look so precious when you're scared, little boy." The Admin gazed right into his widening grey eyes, savouring the fear in them. "You've got a fast Pokemon there, but you know I can hit you first." She reached into her pocket and slipped out a cyan capsule, holding it up high."

"An X Speed. Not being a fugitive has its advantages, doesn't it? Come on, I can't wait to see you all helpless. Mamoswine, take this and– WHAT?"

Alex saw her raise the capsule. If the Mamoswine caught it, all would be lost. Was there even a way to stop it? Henriette stood in front of him, steadfast in shielding him from whatever would come, when suddenly a burst of flame appeared around the Admin's hand. When it disappeared, the capsule was gone and the Admin in a panic.

"NOW! SURF IT DOWN!"

He hardly needed to give a command, Henriette acted the moment he opened his mouth. Drawing an orb of water from itself, the Starmie rode the water as it turned into a large wave that crashed into the Mamoswine and the Admin, pulling a terrible roar from the Pokemon and a scream from its trainer.

"NO! Earthquake, Earthquake–"

"Surf!"

From the vestiges of the first, a second wave formed and swamped the Mamoswine again, knocking it to the ground helpless. The last thing the Rocket Admin saw, coughing and spluttering was a Gastly gazing right into her before she could remember no more. Alex stood still a bit, before falling onto a knee to catch his breath after everything.

The young grunts around the Admin backed away, not wanting to be anywhere near the Starmie that had just knocked out their boss's ace Pokemon. Alex was left alone to take his time looting the unconscious Admin. First were her Poke Balls... he took all that contained her Pokemon, turned on the locks and tossed them as far as he could. That should stall her for a while. Henriette looked on as he checked the rest of her pockets, taking whatever useful tools he could. A few battle items, some medicine. All vital.

"Yes, Henriette, I'm done. We should leave. I have another map, don't worry." The Starmie understood and followed. He didn't talk about the locket for a reason, it knew.

The sun was rising on them. Alex motioned to hurry, and the group took off east to Mount Coronet. He'd remember to reward the team later, he thought, but for a now a bit more work had to be done before they could stop and rest. Now that they had a good start going, there was no sense in slowing down.

Somewhere behind him, something was following his trail, a stranger's treasure held tight.


	3. Light in the Darkness

Above a still river, Alex checked his watch, turning attention away from his work just for a few seconds.

Evening was coming. The sun was sinking over Sinnoh's great mountain. It wasn't a sight he had seen for a while, for the previous months was spent under the shade of imposing trees. A measure of warmth he'd hadn't experienced for a long, long time, even when they were further up the cold north of Sinnoh.

A hit. His simple fishing rod reeled in another Magikarp, unable to struggle thanks to the clump of stun spores on the bait. He threw it behind, where his Gabite would spear it and line it up with the rest. It was the last bite on the line in a long time, and he had plenty of magikarp already drying on the skewers behind.

"Oot."

His Cottonee, Ari chirped to his side. He turned to see Ari holding a torn piece of meat, fresh from the campfire.

"Thank you, Ari. I think not much more are going to come biting, and we've got enough. Come on."

He retired from his position by the river bank and returned to a campfire behind. Skewered Magikarp were cooking over the roaring fire, a pleasant aroma from them wafting over the area, while Gerald the Gabite awkwardly tried scaling the last catch after he was done striking it on the head to stop its last struggle.

Alex took over the scaling while the Gabite sat by the fire, hungrily watching the fish cook. The scene looked just like another camping trip from back in better times. Sis told him why she never trained a Gyarados despite their immense power over campfire meals like this. Cutting off a nutritious, easy and delicious food source like this wasn't all that wise. Magikarp cooked with their skin so their oils would cook along the meat made for a pleasant dinner, and smoking them overnight would allow the meat to be kept for a week.

He took in the smell again. It was, at least, satisfying to know the day's work had paid off. They had been travelling up north by Mount Coronet for the last few days, and this was the last spot they could camp out so comfortably. Past the next tunnel through the mountain, they'd reach colder taiga. The snowfall wouldn't be exceptionally heavy until about two weeks later, so they had enough time as long as they kept up their pace.

One Magikarp off the skewer and into a plastic lunchbox. Alex made sure to collect the juices as they dripped from the ones cooking, those made the otherwise bland fish meat shine. As he hungrily tore off the meat, globs of oil dripped onto his tongue, enough to marinade his whole mouth. It was like the Ursaring who gorged themselves before hibernating for the winter, fittingly since he was about to head towards one of the coldest places commonly traveled.

Eating something he caught and killed himself felt liberating. Not the same old meal of berries back in Eterna Forest, not even picked by himself most of the time. Back there, he was part of a small community of young trainers, hidden away in a small sanctuary. Despite the rumours of cities being overtaken flitting downwind, the bleak radio chatter he overheard from the radios of the older trainers, life then went on normally as if they were in a holiday camp. Some of them took care of food, easy considering the abundance of the forest, while trainers who already had enough Pokemon dedicated themselves to training. Training for what, most of them didn't know.

The boy wondered if he himself knew. He really was just chasing after someone, after all. For a brief moment, as he finished hanging up the remaining Magikarp to smoke overnight, he doubted if all his preparation would lead anywhere.

A chilling, slightly wet sensation touched his cheeks. Julia, his Gastly, had probably noticed something off.

"What, you like the way my hands are fumbling? Seeking some deeper meaning?"

A Cottonee came to his other side. It patted his arm with a leaf, stroking down to his hands gently.

"Yes, Ari, you can tell, I know that much." Alex sighed. "Truth is, I'm not even sure what we're going to do if– when we find sis. Most likely she'll just send me back to hide somewhere safe. And considering what we've seen, we're not exactly fit to fight what's becoming a war."

As he stroked the Cottonee's fluffy head, Roy flew in and landed in front of him. The Murkrow would never land on his head, no matter how tempting. That spot was Ari's, and Ari's alone. The Gabite sitting at the campfire behind him scotted a bit closer.

"Maybe we'll get some better food? I hear unique berries grow off Snovers. Or better neighbours. At worst we'll just go back and at least know Sis is fine. Henriette, you'll be happy to go back to her, at least. Yes, Henriette, I know you're listening, just take your time down there in the water.

A brief light flash and bubbles from the river came in response.

"It's been tough, but I have to say that I'm thankful you guys are here with me. Now, it's dark, so you're all going to bed. Except you, Julia, you're night lookout."

The Gastly flipped about the air. Julia didn't mind, she'd much rather spend the day resting anyway. Roy and Gerald were recalled to sleep in their Poke Balls, but Alex let Ari rest by him in their tent. Touching the cotton puff helped him sleep better, anyway. Henriette could decide for itself when and where it wanted to sleep.

"Good night, everyone." Alex muttered as he tucked himself and Ari in. "Our last comfortable night, we're past snow line tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

Those last words were really more meant for himself. At least Ari could sleep while Alex stroked him over and over till he himself could rest.

It was the eve of his journey's beginning, again. Knowing that soon he'd be interrupted, Alex decided he'd just get out of bed and get ready to leave. The moon shone clearly in his room's window, shining eerily bright. As he left his house, he met a group of youths like him. Some turned to him and asked where he was going.

"I don't know," said the black-haired smallest of them, Alex. "Sis should come running to find me any second now."

"I know," said a brash girl. I'm going to find adventure battling bad guys!

"I know," announced an imposing older boy, with even more bravado. "I'm going to die."

"I don't know", said a hazy-eyed girl. "I'll just need to wait till I do."

The two that were sure of themselves ran off to where there was only void, and were not heard from since. The remaining two stared at one another, until the earth shifted beneath Alex and he was floated away on the star-lit river. As he tried squinting to keep his view of her for as long as possible, Henriette appeared, blocking his vision. A great dark emptiness seeped out from its shining core and enveloped him, and the whole thing was over again.

A dull pain all over his body prodded Alex awake. Even as he opened his eyes, he couldn't see anything. He struggled to get to his feet, difficult in the total darkness of the cavern. He had to take more than a few moments to pull himself together, trying to remember what had happened before.

That morning they set off from camp towards the tunnel that would take them through to Route 216. The interior had changed, Alex expected, with a few passages having collapsed and others opened up. It wasn't much of a problem if he had a Gabite to dig through the rubble with, he thought at the time. Of course, he made a mistake. One wrong move, and the floor collapsed out from under him, knocking him out till he came to here in complete darkness.

Flashlight. Of course, he always had one on him. Alex felt for it and turned it on, but was treated only to a brief flicker before the light died out, just enough to see that it was irreparably damaged. Never mind that. He had his Pokemon, after all.

"Henriette, you there?"

He waited for that brief flicker of light from its core. There wasn't any answer.

"Ari?"

Any moment now, that cotton puff would leap onto his head. Any moment now...

"Julia? Gerald? Roy?"

No answers of any kind.

For the first time, Alex felt truly and utterly alone.

There wasn't time to lick his wounds. He had to get out. He stood up and positioned himself by a wall, slowly moving forward, feeling for an exit of some. A passage, a crawlspace, anything. Focusing on the task at hand helped keep less pleasant thoughts at bay. Especially important here in the dark, where his imagination would easily spiral out of control.

How long had it been? It seemed like he'd been scaling the cave walls for ages. After the first few minutes, it didn't seem like he felt any new kinds of protrusions or patterns in the walls. No, it wasn't possible, was it? Of course not, he thought. At a spot where water was dripping down, he dropped his ruined flashlight near his feet. Just to be sure. He'd never run into it again, because he was making slow and steady progress through the maze.

A few minutes later, he felt his boots lightly kick something by another wet spot. Merely a rock, he thought. Hoped. Again, a bit later, the same thud. It was only after the third time that he decided to see what sort of rock it was that littered this cave. Mount Coronet was known for its magnetic ore, after all. Of course, deep down he knew it wasn't any sort of rock at all, and when he felt the ruined head of his flashlight, everything sank.

"HENRIETTE! ARI?"

He didn't have the strength to call out for the others' names. His legs collapsed from under him, and his arms lay about limp.

Was this going to be his tomb?

It couldn't end, not like this. Not after everything he'd done. Instinctively he reached for where he wore his sister's locket, forgetting that it wasn't there since it was stolen by someone else for their freedom. He comforted himself with the thought that it went to a good cause, before finally leaning back into the cave wall, water dripping onto his forehead.

He was deathly afraid of closing his eyes. It was the last thing he would do, and yet the only thing left. It wouldn't make a difference since he couldn't see here anyway, but that meant giving up. He thought about his team if they made it out, how they'd react if they found his lifeless body. Would Ari cover him in cotton as a last rite? Would Gerald dig a grave, or would Henriette insist on a water burial? Being laid to rest back home in Canalave would mean sis could visit him regularly once it was over.

He felt himself drifting away. He didn't want to fight it any more. Alex could at least spend his last moments thinking of his loved ones. His eyes were only just the slightest bit open, kept there by the incessant water droplets refusing to let him rest, and he resolved that he'd work up the courage to close them once he'd finished reciting that favourite myth of his.

"'When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came. The Pokemon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew."

"Good night, everyone."

For a moment, just before he shut his eyes at last, he thought he saw a light. It was probably his imagination trying to comfort him, he thought. A sudden downpour of droplets interrupted his rest, making him flinch away from his spot. He blinked as he wiped his face, seeing more of the orange light far away.

"Kiii?"

"You..."

A Fennekin holding a lit stick called out to him from above. It stood alcove above where he was feeling, somewhere he couldn't have detected unless he jumped. Around its neck was a locket, one Alex knew well, and behind it wore a small pouch probably taken from an unwitting Rocket Grunt. Cheerfully, it leapt down and trotted over to Alex, the light from the ignited stick warming up the cavern.

"Come to keep me company, have you?" Alex laughed, weakly, but feeling strength return to his limbs. It was more than the flame the Fennekin carried that warmed him up. "That's very kind of you. Now if you'll return that locket to me..."

The Fennekin lowered its head, allowing Alex to reclaim his treasure. It then motioned towards the alcove, it was bright enough to see that there was a passage that led away.

"Want me to follow you, do you? I was just getting comfortable, too."

Alex lifted the Fennekin up onto the alcove before climbing up himself. The Fennekin led the way, moving forward while Alex crawled on warm rock as the ceiling came lower and lower. The tunnel was lit by ignited sticks planted wherever they could fit, which the Fennekin put out and collected back into its pouch. Before long the air changed, becoming much less stale, and they emerged from the tunnel into a well-lit cavern.

"Ari! There you are–" The Cotton Puff Pokemon immediately flew at his head, hugging his face. Julia's chilling tongue wiped his neck, and a cacophony of cries from the rest of his team echoed through the cavern. A small campfire crackled in an open space, his belongings neatly arranged around them. Henriette stood there, limbs drooping. It was positively quashed with relief.

"I'm alright, I'm fine. No, I'm not cold, stop trying to push me, Roy. Is the backpack safe? Oh, thank you, Gerald." As his Pokemon tended to him, he scanned the area for any sign of an exit. A howling wind pushed a few pebbles that rolled into a pool of water, reflecting something bright from the wind's source.

"There! Come on, let's not spend any more time in this damn cave. Pack up, we'll hike till sundown." His Pokemon began helping to clear the area, save Henriette, who insisted on examining Alex carefully for injury. Very soon, they were ready to leave, each pokemon having the day's goal clear in mind. Well, all except one.

"Any idea where you'll be going, Fennekin?" Just as Alex took a step toward the exit, he turned around to face the fox looking at him wistfully.

"Neee..." It shook its head.

"I could use your skills. That and we have helped each other quite a bit... alright then, come on over."

Quietly pleased, the Fennekin trotted over and sat down in front of him, as if waiting for some kind of coronation.

"First off, you'll need a name. Hmm... you're a girl, so how does Maya sound? Maya, Ma-ya... sounds good on the tongue, doesn't it?"

"Dee~!" Maya yipped, accepting her new name.

"Maya. Everyone, Maya's one of us now, so welcome her warmly, alright? Maya, this is Henriette..." He gestured to the Starmie, whose core jewel pulsed gently. "Listen to them if they tell you to do something. This is Ari, you also listen to him. And this is Julia, Roy and Gerald."

The team of Pokemon greeted in kind, accepting their new member.

"Now! We're not making any progress standing here, so into your poke balls. Conditions up ahead won't be as nice as before, so only one out at a time. Gerald, you first, since the cold will affect you the most. As for you, Maya..."

He dropped a spare ball onto the Fennekin. It, however, failed to suck in Maya like it would for a capture. Instead, she pulled out a Poke ball from her own pouch and entered.

"Huh. Lucky you brought it along, huh?" Alex held the ball holding his new comrade to his chest before securing it away. The road wouldn't wait for them, but by their own ability, they'd find a way as always.

"No, not lucky. It was because you were clever enough."


End file.
